ProRodeo Sports News - April 16, 2021

PRORODEO ATHLETES

A little more than a decade ago Taylor Hearn found he had quite the conundrum on his hands. Well, his arms. With his right arm, he had become an accomplished tie-down roper in the middle and high school ranks while growing up not quite an hour northeast of Dallas. And with his left arm, he had become a standout pitcher – all 6 foot, 6 inches of him – at Royse City High School, where his blazing fastball and devastating slider had garnered the attention of college coaches and professional scouts. It would have made perfect sense for Hearn to want to chase rodeo glory. After all, as a kid he’d watched his grandfather Cleo, the first Black cowboy to win a major tie-down roping event in 1970 at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver and the first Black cowboy to attend college on a rodeo scholarship. Hearn’s dad, Robby, and three uncles also competed in Photo courtesy Texas Rangers Texas Rangers pitcher Taylor Hearn, left, shows catcher Jose Trevino how to tie on a roping dummy during the 2020 Wrangler NFR. Cowboy Heart AT BY KEVIN CARMODY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News Hearn succeeding in MLB after leaving rodeo dreams behind

ProRodeo Sports News 4/16/2021

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